Pre-moving homesick jitters

[~Nini~ 2]

It's so ridiculous, but today was such a mopey day for me (and not because my Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow, hehe). A couple of my good friends came by and we went to visit the store where we all used to work at. Naturally the topic of "hey, what are you up to now?" came up and so I mentioned that I was leaving on Thursday to Philadelphia. I guess it just really hit me that I'm going to be leaving the city soon, and I've been pretty emotional since then. Over the weekend my mom and I spent time together, and she kept getting weepy at random moments.

I guess I'm just nervous about moving to a new place where the lifestyle is completely different... from being able to walk/bus everywhere to being completely reliant on the car in Bee's area, missing all the restaurants that I love in Vancouver, sugar to HFCS, etc. I'm just worried that I'm going to be incredibly unhappy for the first few months due to the fact that I'll be sitting at home with a thumb up my #######, bored out of my mind and isolated because I don't have a way of getting around, and entertaining myself with video games and horrible soap opera telly for twelve hours while Bee is at work.

/rant - Anyone else feel/felt like this, or other thoughts?

[L_n_O 3]

I'm kinda worried too..

I'm going to miss my jazz lounge in downtown toronto!!

I think I'll be renting all the Law & Order Seasons for those 2 - 3 months..

[reeses16 8]

It can be a difficult transition. Just try to be patient and have a good attitude. My husband has been frustrated and bored out of his mind at times, but his positive attitude has made all the difference. Its not easy.

Best of luck and congratulations on your approval.

-DA

[L_n_O 3]

Oliver's brother lives in Philadelphia.. we could visit sometime =)

[lynamon 0]

It's so ridiculous, but today was such a mopey day for me (and not because my Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow, hehe). A couple of my good friends came by and we went to visit the store where we all used to work at. Naturally the topic of "hey, what are you up to now?" came up and so I mentioned that I was leaving on Thursday to Philadelphia. I guess it just really hit me that I'm going to be leaving the city soon, and I've been pretty emotional since then. Over the weekend my mom and I spent time together, and she kept getting weepy at random moments.

I guess I'm just nervous about moving to a new place where the lifestyle is completely different... from being able to walk/bus everywhere to being completely reliant on the car in Bee's area, missing all the restaurants that I love in Vancouver, sugar to HFCS, etc. I'm just worried that I'm going to be incredibly unhappy for the first few months due to the fact that I'll be sitting at home with a thumb up my #######, bored out of my mind and isolated because I don't have a way of getting around, and entertaining myself with video games and horrible soap opera telly for twelve hours while Bee is at work.

/rant - Anyone else feel/felt like this, or other thoughts?

I'll tell you .. I went through the same thing and I currently am sitting around bored out of my mind but there is always VJ ... and facebook of course. To tell you the truth for the first long while once I got here the time just flew .. we got married, went on our honeymoon for a week and then working on the house and unpacking and getting things organized not to mention you will be together and quite truthfully I didn't start getting bored until nearing the end of September. Theres so much to see when you move somewhere new that it eats up so much of your time. Currently I drop my son off at school in the mornings ... come home and drink like a pot of coffee while I read the new VJ posts and check out my facebook. Then I get showered and work on something around the house until I have to pick up my son again at 3 and by that time my husband is awake for me to follow around like a puppy dog cause I'm bored lol (he's on nights so he sleeps during the day). In all honesty though I'm not nearly as stressed out as I was before I left .. now I just search for things to worry about .

[misa 2]

Oh I hear ya! I was born, raised and lived in downtown Toronto for most of my life... work was a 10 minute walk away and everything I needed was within a 15 minute walk. And on the very rare occassions that I needed to get anywhere further? Cabs everywhere, decent public transportation, etc. I don't drive and I pretty much have to rely on my husband to cart me around to do grocery shopping and whatever else I need. That transition was really hard since I'm used to doing everything myself and not having to rely on anyone. But you know what? It wasn't as rough as it was when we were apart. Not even close!

Just try and keep yourself busy for the first little while. Pick up a hobby, read, walk around the neighbourhood, etc.

[vanee 13]

I'm also getting ready to leave Vancouver, and I've been on the verge of tears several times when saying good-bye to friends. Or just thinking about saying good-bye.

Once we're with our fiances, I expect that it'll be easier. We'll get settled into life there. I've spent several months with my fiance in the US on different trips, and I wasn't homesick then, but I still had a home in Vancouver. Other than that difference, it'll be like those visits except that we won't have to think about when I'm leaving. And all my belongings will be there. The closet will be full of our clothes, more of my things will be on the dresser and the shelves with his, and so on. It'll be home.

There's bad and good in this. It's normal to be sad about leaving so much. That doesn't make it easier, but we'll get through the bad to the good.

And it helps to have so many people to go through this with.

[vanee 13]

For transportation, get yourself a bike, a helmet, and a good bike lock. You'll be able to get around then. Less so in the winter, but you probably have a couple of months before it gets too cold to ride.

[JVKn'CVO 11]

aaww Nini, I feel exactly the same way, I'm leaving on wednesday so I know how you feel

hugs and good luck

Saludos,

Caro

[kimmbo 0]

I (USC) went through all the same things when I came to Canada, 5 1/2 years ago...and it was so hard for me to be away from family and my girlfriends (we went to lunch the day before I moved and hugging them goodbye was heartbreaking)...my town that I was born and raised in... I shed some tears in the beginning... (still do when something big is going on and I cant be there)....thank goodness for the Internet!!!

but its also so nice to get real mail sometimes..what I asked my friends to do is to send me a letter or pictures sometime and bought them all stationery sets with stamps before I left!... I also get care packages from home alot from my mom of products I cant get here...I have a list of some of my husbands favorite things from here and Im going to make a care package for him and give it to his son to mail to him a couple months after we move..because I think it will be a nice surprise for him to get things from "home"...my mom also sends me the local paper every once in awhile..I can read it online but its really nice to sit on the couch and read about "local" things even though by the time I get it, its old news..LOL

if you craft at all, I highly recommend scrapbooking...very addicting..my girlfriends and I all scrapbook and we all joined a great sight called scrapbook.com... we each have a gallery and can post our latest layouts...even though were not together it makes us feel closer when were all doing the same thing.. especially with Christmas coming its alot of fun making your own Christmas cards...

always remember you have VJ and others here who really know exactly how you are feeling... I wish you the best of luck in your big move...

Caro, good luck to you too!

[Carlawarla 1]

I've been here for 10 months now, and I still have weepy days. Some weeks I'm crazy busy. I'm volunteering, taking a Spanish and aquacise class, and playing Bridge twice a month. I'm also taking in some local history discussions at the library once a week. When I am doing "nothing", I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of being able to read.

What I DO miss terribly though, are the close female friendships I had in Canada.

Many of us are, or were in the same boat as you are. We can empathize.

Hugs,

Carla

[Mephys 2]

All I can say is hang in there!

I went exactly through all the same feelings, plus one, the fear that I wouldn't understand anyone because I am French... Since I moved by driving, the worst part was when we crossed the sign "You are leaving Quebec" on the 401.....

So here I am, celebrating my 6 months anniversary in the US on October 15th. I would say the first 3 months are the hardest. Get to know the place, the streets, the name of new food brands, the stores, etc, etc. I could drive the car but took me a while to be able to drive further than 10 min away without my husband ( I had never left Montreal my entire life before I met him).

So I mainly stayed inside, browsing the web, VJ, Facebook, and also did a little crafting (scarpbook, painting) and reading. My 2 cats is what helped me the most to feel at home here. It was pretty empty the first 2 months and I was going crazy being completely alone all day.

So just try to take it easy, don't do more than you think you can handle, just take it one thing at a time, and it's gonne become a whole soon Hey I finalement found a Italian food market that sells stuff like I used to like In Montreal only 2 days ago!!! It gets better everyday, and I am thankfull to be able to hold my husband in my arms everyday, that's what keeps me going

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I'm anticipating the same ups and downs as you guys are..... I've lived in the same city (Kitchener-Waterloo) my entire life...only 3 places in 37 years. Worked for the same company for the last 10. Even went to university here.

But I digress....I am excited about a change and I get to do it with Don...he's a very positive person which is good...cuz I have to say there are some days when I can't muster it. I've been feeling a little teary about leaving work even - have some good friendships and working relationships established which took years to achieve and I know will be lots of works to get back to that spot at a new place.

I'm hoping to maybe volunteer for a bit at my daughter's highschool or something along those lines to keep busy, but I know I'll need to find a variety of activities...leveling my various World of Warcraft characters is always an option!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I faced the same thing when I moved here. My husband really appreciated that I needed a way to get around and one of our first priorities was to get me a car. The first week was just settling in with the cats, putting away clothes, going for a walk on the nature trail near the house - and then the moving van arrived with my belongings! That kept me busy - we bought more book shelves, went shopping for items I had identified that we needed in the house - and had a sick cat that required daily medical treatment. THe first 6 weeks flew by.

After things settled down at home, I began 'exploring' in the car. It was nervewracking and I was terrified of getting lost - and I did quite a number of times, but I ended up finding short cuts to all of these places my husband had taken me and now I know the back roads far better than he does.

Things are disconcerting at first because even something so simple as being oriented north south is totally discombobulated - you feel displaced spatially as well as physically and emotionally. So, find a way to get out and around so that you begin to feel 'in place' again. That will go a long way to helping you adapt to your new home.

Hehehe, the next few months you will be making lists of all of the things that are different - small, subtle things - and getting excited over things that are the same. I remember finding tomatoes in the store that were grown in Ontario and had to buy them - then smiled because 'home' came to me. Hehehehe, you will find your own experiences like that!

Good luck!

[Krikit 1,164]

Read this post; this post; and this post for my take on some of the issues which will intensify homesickness so you can be prepared when it hits.

I still get homesick. But not as often. It helps to have friends on VJ. I have family members who are still angry with me for leaving, and that's been really hard to deal with. We are working through it, but I still cry sometimes. Just remember we're here for you when you need us, and we understand. (((hugs)))